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nighttime supply

my 5 1/2 wk old son is already fairly easy in the night. he generally sleeps a 4 hour block at a time at night, so I end up only feeding him once in the middle of the night. Unfortunately I often end up engorged on at least one breast, and it has gotten worse since I went back to work this week and started pumping. I do not know what to do! I do not want to have to get up at 4 in the morning and go set up my pump. I have been trying to ignore it to see if my body would regulate, but it is getting really bad. What would you do? On one hand increased supply is great, cause with working I have to be able to meet DS needs pumping. On the other hand I wish it wasn't at night!

Re: nighttime supply

Hi J,

Instead of hassling with pumping in the middle of the night, you might consider bringing baby to bed with you and encouraging more night nursing. This will not only relieve the engorgement, but will also have the added benefit of decreasing his dependence upon pumped milk while you are seperated during the day. Whatever you decide, please do not ignore your engorgement. It is a recipe for developing plugged ducts and mastitis. At a minimum, it would be a good idea to at least hand express a little in the middle of the night until you are comfortable. You don't need to empty the breast, just relieve the engorgement.

Re: nighttime supply

we do cosleep, and I follow child-led feeding principals. by the time he wakes for his middle of the night feeding I am already engorged. the amount of milk is so great at that time that he only eats from one breast, so that compounds the problem because the other breast stays full. he'd have to be eating upwards of 10 - 12 ounces at one feeding in order to consume all of the milk I have available at that feeding. Even on nights when he does eat more frequently he does not keep up with my milk production, and I end up soaked and uncomfortable. I'm being forced to pump a couple of ounces at my middle of the night feeding just so I can maintain comfort. I just don't understand why my body is not regulating.

Re: nighttime supply

the oversupply is only at night.
i don't generally have the need to block feed, although at any given feeding he may or may not eat on both sides. at his nighttime feedings, however, i have so much milk that he only needs to eat from one breast. i would bet that if i pumped at the time when he normally wakes to eat, i could easily pump 8 to 10 ounces, way more than a 6 wk old would eat in one sitting. i've had this problem from the start but it was managable until i went back to work - i guess the pumping has sent my body into hyperproduction. he sleeps for longer periods at night which is good from a sleep standpoint but i really thought my body would get the hint. i suppose the work thing has thrown a cog in the wheel. i definately feel that my production is greater at night.
i'm pumping two to three times per day. i pump in the morning when i have a lot of milk. then i pump twice at work.